Syal, who played Beatrice opposite Bhattacharjee’s Benedick in "Much Ado About Nothing" at Stratford-upon-Avon last summer and later in the West End, said today: “I am completely shocked at this news.

"This is so out of character as Paul has such an incredibly professional work ethic. I saw him a fortnight ago and he was very happy with the way things were going with work and about his relationship with his girlfriend."

“I never had the thought I was going to be big or famous, I just knew I enjoyed the feeling of it,” she said. “It made me feel good. It was fun. It was something I enjoyed. I kind of followed that feeling.”

Fort Wayne native Julia Barr credits soap’s endurance
“It’s a medium that has had great endurance, even if you go back to when a lot of soaps started on the radio,” Barr says. “Going online is the third transition for this kind of entertainment – it has amazing staying power, which I find incredible.”

Kevin Spirtas of NYMF's "Legacy Falls" Picks His Favorite Songs for "Soap'n Around"
Since Spirtas, a soap opera star, is among the cast of the soap-inspired musical, Playbill.com asked the actor to pick his favorite songs from or relating to soap operas and explain why they made his list.
"The Sweetest of Nights and the Finest of Days" (Shelly Markham and Judith Viorst). This is the perfect wedding song, which I actually sang on DAYS OF OUR LIVES at my fictional daughter Chloe's wedding.